shortly after he returned to afghanistan, he and three others were killed by a roadside bomber. >> at the time he was killed we didn't know that we were pregnant. so four days after i was notified of his death is when i found out that we were pregnant, so it was just such a miracle. it was the best news i could have ever received. >> reporter: cooper actually took his first step at his father's grave. >> right here, yup. he held on and just stepped. uh-huh, it was amazing. it was absolutely remarkable. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: connor is old enough to have some memory of his father, and to understand a little bit about what this place means. >> connor calls arlington heaven. so he's obviously a little confused with what's going on. but, you know, if he wants to think this is heaven, that's fine. >> the first time i brought him here, i told him that we were going to visit his dad and he came to the grave and he started knocking and saying, "come out, daddy, i'm here." >> reporter: veronica ortiz's children are a little older. their extended family drives six hours from north